Indigo Slipstream, 2024

After spending a childhood defending my late uncle’s abstract paintings, (Melbourne artist Paul Partos who was part of the 1968 NGV exhibition The Field ) my curiosity in abstraction has only deepened. Having the freedom to consider a surface without obvious representation takes you into a non-verbal thought process I’ve come to rely on. Taking cues from abstract painting and translating them into ceramics feels like taking a step further into the void – the process is handed over to the kiln’s wishes, and the nature of clay is gestural and expressive. When all goes well, glazes feel like the most high-quality paint set on the market, with their endless possibilities and rich surface. Another memory directing my recent return to ceramics was being babysat in an art dealers apartment and finding out the auction price of a Gwyn Hanssen Pigott bowl. I was used to hearing about the value of paintings, but the idea of looking at a fragile household object that would take a lifetime of pocket money repayments if I broke it, filled me with excitement and terror. Later in life, it came as no surprise to me that Pigott was a dedicated meditator, and when I read that her vignettes were based on the paintings of Giorgio Morandi my interest accelerated. Which brings me back to the non-verbal space that art occupies. Contemplation, solitude, and sensitivity are all actions used to describe Morandi’s practise. Arranging and re-arranging objects in search of harmony are one of life’s richest pleasures which the painter’s work so powerfully communicates. For many people vessels become personified, but in my mind they’re blank canvases offering the viewer a familiar starting point. Ceramics, in my view, particularly non narrative pieces hold a special relevance right now as the material reflects the fragile, unpredicatible nature of our times.

CURRENT MEMBER OF CLAYPOOL

CURRENTLY HAS WORK IN Object Shop, Australian Design Centre;
Art Gallery of Ballarat Store
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EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF VISUAL ARTS (HONS) UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Sydney College of the Arts

BACHELOR OF VISUAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Sydney College of the Arts

AWARDS/GRANTS
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP
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RELEVANT EMPLOYMENT

2024-2013
SOCIAL MEIDA EDITOR & DESIGNER for Sunday Life Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald
STYLE EDITOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR Good Weekend Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald

2013-2004
GRAPHIC ARTIST NEWS LTD
Digital producer and online graphic artist for The Daily Telegraph website and news.com.au

2008
TIKA
In house graphic designer and creator of Tika’s 2008 knitwear range

2008 – 2004
Freelance designer, various projects

2004 – 2002
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Education officer and design for special projects

2002
[R]U MAGAZINE
Art Director

1999
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY – NEPEAN SCHOOL OF DESIGN
Associate lecturer and tutor of: Design Issues, Digital Worlds,

1998
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
Tutor – Interface design: Writing, delivery and marking of Interface Design, a production based course that

1998-97
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

1997
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Museums On-Line Project: Photography and digital manipulation of Sydney University collections, including Macleay Museum, and Nicholson Museum

1996-94
THE GRAPHICS CO.
Graphic Designer

1993
POWERHOUSE MUSEUM
Internship: Assisting with Powerhouse event brochures and event signage